making a force, all told, of 57 men and officers. They came up with the rebels, posted in a thicket, 1 1/2 miles south of the village of Uniontown, in Scotland County. Captain Maize, assisted by Lieutenants Law and Bruce, opened fire on them. Captain Bell, of the Enrolled Missouri Militia of Adair County, came up about the same time with a considerable force under his command and aided us in the fight, which lasted one and a half hours and resulted in the total rout of the rebel forces.

Seven of the rebels are reported killed and a number of them wounded. Ten were taken prisoners, and among them the noted guerrilla Tom. Palmer. The number of horses captured by me men was 12, arms, saddles, and blankets unknown, as they were gathered up by the various companies engaged and carried off. Captain Bell, of Kirksville, took charge of the prisoners and most of the horses and took them with him.

The rebels wore white bands on their hats, and this saved them from utter destruction, as our men mistook them at first for our own men. We had none of our men killed or wounded in this skirmish.

On the morning of the 18th, let me add, Captain N. Williams and Lieutenant Grimshaw, with 17 men, were marching into the village of Uniontown. When near the village they were fired on by some 20 men, who they thought were the Enrolled Missouri Militia (as they all had on white hat-bands), but before they found out their mistake the guerrillas fled out of the village. One man of the Enrolled Missouri Militia was wounded; also 3 horses.

The skirmish first mentioned in this report took place late in the evening, and the rebels made good their retreat under the cover of night.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

JOHN BAKER,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Post at Lancaster, Mo.

Brigadier-General MERRILL, Macon City, Mo.

OCTOBER 20, 1862.- Skirmish near Marshfield, Mo.

Report of Lieutenant Colonel James Stuart, Tenth Illinois Cavalry.

HEADQUARTERS,
Marshfield, Mo., October 22, 1862.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report that on the evening of the 20th instant I received information of a party of rebels moving up the Niangua Creek, making toward a point 8 miles east of this post, and en route to join the rebel forces in the southwestern portion of this State. I immediately took 105 men of the Tenth Illinois Cavalry and started at 5 p. m. to intercept them. I came on their pickets about 8.30 o'clock and drove them in, and attacked the main force, about 300 strong, killing 4 of them on the ground, wounding a good many, as I afterward understood, and capturing 27 prisoners. Among them was one captain named William H. Todd, who informs me that Colonel Dorsey was in command. I likewise captured a number of horses, saddles, shot-guns, muskets, and rifles. My loss was 1 man killed and 1 wounded. This party was organized by Rucker and Hughes, who sign themselves majors in the Confederate States Army. They scattered in every direction through the mountains, a large portion returning in the same